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CHAPTER 10: SWIMMING LAPS

"Yeah, he lent it to me since I forgot mine," I explained, trying to play it cool.

Kiesha just chuckled and gave me a playful nudge.

"Well, I didn't know you two were THAT close," she said, still grinning.

I rolled my eyes, but deep down, I was kind of glad she was only teasing.

It felt good to be around friends, even if I did feel a little awkward in Dominic's swimsuit.

But at least I wasn't going to be the one left out of the swim, right?

"Greybi, kana Ryu... Pati ba naman damit ni Nonic suot mo"

I quickly said again, trying to brush off the teasing, "I just borrowed it because I forgot mine."

But Bryce, who had been watching me closely, looked at the name on the suit and raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you borrow from me?" he asked.

I couldn't help but laugh nervously.

"Well, Dominic was the first one who offered to lend me his suit, so I just went with that"

I explained, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.

It wasn't like I didn't appreciate Bryce's offer; it just didn't cross my mind when Dominic had already been so quick to help me out.

As I watched some of our classmates swimming laps back and forth, it seemed so easy for them.

Kiesha and Bryce, especially, were gliding through the water with ease. They were so fast, it almost looked like they'd been training for this their whole lives.

I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious.

The truth was, I hadn't swum at all since our swimming trip in 10th grade, so I was nervous.

My nerves were getting to me as I tried to ignore the pressure.

Everyone else seemed so confident in the water, while I was just hoping I wouldn't embarrass myself.

It felt like there was so much to catch up on, but I couldn't let myself get too caught up in it.

When it was finally my turn, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and then jumped into the water.

At first, everything seemed fine. I could still swim, and I made it to the first side of the pool without any issues.

I pushed myself off the wall and started swimming back to the other side, feeling a little more confident.

I did this about six times, but then, out of nowhere, I suddenly lost my balance in the water.

I struggled, trying to stay afloat, but it was like my body wasn't cooperating. I couldn't seem to get back to the surface.

Panic set in, and I managed to shout, "Help!" My voice barely made it out, but thankfully, some of my classmates immediately jumped in to try and rescue me.

But as I fought to stay above the water, I could feel myself sinking deeper and deeper.

My head slipped below the surface, and before I could even process what was happening, I lost all sense of time and space.

I couldn't think anymore-everything went black.

When I woke up, I was lying down on a bed, the room around me dim and quiet. My head felt heavy, and everything was a blur.

It took me a second to realize where I was-the nurse's office. As I scanned the room, I noticed someone sitting quietly in the corner.

It was Dominic.